3-game road trip behind, 3-game homestand ahead

The Sounders are off today before resuming training on Wednesday. With no particular news expected today, here's an overview from the club with a look ahead to the 1 p.m. Saturday home match against Colorado:

Sounders FC Kicks Off Three-Game Home Stand Saturday against ColoradoFollowing three-straight come-from-behind road results, Seattle Sounders FC returns to the Pacific Northwest for three consecutive home games, beginning Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

Saturday's match will be televised locally on Q-13 FOX and live out of market on ROOT Sports with Ross Fletcher and Kasey Keller on the call, and can be heard on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM. The match will also be televised live in Spanish on THIS-TV (KOMO2) with Jaime Mendez and Diego Arrioja on the call, and Spanish radio is available on ESPN Deportes 1490 AM with Rene Aleman and Noe Menendez.

Sounders FC (4-2-1, 13 points) jumped to second place in the Western Conference with its second-straight comeback road win last Saturday, 2-1 at Chivas USA. It marked the third come-from-behind result for Seattle this season as the team concluded a three-game road stretch claiming seven of the available nine points.

Clint Dempsey continued his hot streak with two assists, extending his streak to a league-best five games with a goal (6) or assist (3). The Seattle is yet to be held scoreless this season as Dempsey co-leads the Golden Boot race and Obafemi Martins has recorded a league-high four assists.

Seattle returns home to face one of the league's top road teams as Colorado has gone unbeaten (2-0-1) in three away contests this season. The Rapids (3-1-2, 11 points) are currently fourth in the West with one game in hand and are unbeaten (2-0-1) in the past three outings.

Sounders FC holds an 8-2-2 advantage in the all-time series, marking the club record for most wins over a single opponent. In the last meeting between the two sides, Seattle ousted the Rapids from the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs in the club's first-ever Knockout Round match. The season series will continue on August 30 at CenturyLink Field before concluding at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on October 5.

Following Saturday's match, Seattle will host Colorado in the home opener of the 2014 MLS Reserve League season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash.

Sounders FC will continue its three-game home stand on May 3 against the Philadelphia Union followed by a meeting with FC Dallas on May 7.

Tickets for Sounders FC home matches, including the Tottenham Hotspur friendly, are available now at www.SoundersFC.com and 1-877-MLS-GOAL. The 6-Match ticket package is also available now with expanded seating to include the upper bowl at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle Sits SecondWith 13 points through the opening seven matches, Sounders FC is tied with Real Salt Lake for second place in the Western Conference. Seattle also sits second in the race for the Supporters' Shield as its average of 1.86 points per game tops all Eastern Conference teams. Sounders FC is one of two teams (FC Dallas) with at least four wins this season. Seattle's second-place position in the West is the highest Week 7 placement since the club's inaugural season in 2009 and the team has not dropped out of the top four for the first time since 2010.

Goal Scoring SoundersSounders FC has scored the second-most goals (14) in MLS this season, three tallies behind league-leading FC Dallas. Seattle also ranks second behind Dallas with four multi-goal games as the Western Conference foes are the only two sides to average at least two goals per game this season. It is the first time in club history that Sounders FC have started a season with goals in its opening seven matches and the 14-goal total in Week 7 is the most in club history.

Leading the WayClint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins are quickly becoming one of the league's most lethal attacking tandems. Dempsey leads the league with six goals and ranks second with three assists while Martins leads the league with four assists and has added two goals. The pair has contributed to nine of the last 10 goals scored, dating back to the 2-1 home loss to Columbus on March 29. Dempsey has scored five goals with two assists and Martins has recorded one goal with three assists in that span. Martins has assisted on two of Dempsey's goals while Dempsey assisted on Martins' game-winner last Saturday at Chivas USA.

Dempsey Riding Hot StreakClint Dempsey has recorded a goal (6) or assist (3) in all five appearances this season, marking the league record for consecutive games with a point in 2014. It is one of the best runs of form in club history as Fredy Montero twice tallied six goals with one assist in a five-game stretch (9/10-10/15/11 and 8/5-8/25/12). In the 2013 season, just six players recorded a goal or assist in at least five-straight games, led by Landon Donovan's seven-game stretch. Dempsey's best-ever stretch came in 2005 when he scored five goals with four assists over a six-game stretch to begin the season with the New England Revolution.

Back Home to Secure PointsThe top road team in MLS returns home for a three-game stretch at CenturyLink Field. Seattle is 1-2-0 at home this season with three goals scored and four conceded. The lone win came in the season opener against Kansas City, and Sounders FC has since dropped back-to-back contests to Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew. Seattle has never lost three-straight home games, and the team has only lost consecutive home games twice in club history (May 12 and May 23, 2012; May 8 and May 22, 2010). Seattle was one of the league's top home teams in 2013, going 10-2-5 with a 14-game (10-0-4) unbeaten streak and a league-best six-game home winning streak.

Road Sweet RoadSounders FC has earned three-straight comeback results on the road, beginning with a late 4-4 draw at Portland on April 5, followed by a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Dallas on April 12. The team capped the impressive run last Saturday with a 2-1 win at Chivas USA after trailing 1-nil in the fifth minute. Seattle earned seven of the available nine points in the three-game road stretch, matching the club record set in 2013, and the nine goals scored set a club record. The team will have another three-game road stretch from June 7 to July 5 (Chicago, D.C. United and Vancouver).

Best Road Team in MLSWith Saturday's win at Chivas USA, Sounders FC remained unbeaten (3-0-1) on the road, amassing the most road points (10) in MLS this season. Seattle is one of six unbeaten road teams, and the three away wins are the most in the league. The 11 goals scored on the road are five more than any other MLS side, averaging an impressive 2.75 goals per game away from home.

Comeback PointsSounders FC has earned six points (2-1-0) this season when allowing the first goal, downing FC Dallas and Chivas USA in the past two contests. Seattle earned just seven points (2-12-1) in the 2013 season when allowing the first goal. The team has also matched its 2013 season total (1-10-0) with three points (1-1-0) when trailing at the half. Seattle is one of two teams (Columbus) to win when trailing at the half this season, and the team's two victories when allowing the first goal is tied with Dallas for the most in MLS. Overall, just four teams have won a match when trailing at the half this season.

Late Game HeroicsObafemi Martins' game-winner at Chivas USA marked the team's fifth goal of the season in the final 15 minutes of a game, matching FC Dallas for the league-lead. All five late goals were either winners or equalizers, as Chad Barrett (vs. Kansas City), Clint Dempsey (at Dallas) and Martins (at Chivas) all netted game-winners while Dempsey's two-goal effort in the final five minutes at Portland earned a crucial road draw. Seattle ranks second in MLS with eight goals scored (1.14 average) in the second-half, and its four goals allowed (0.57 average) in the final 45 minutes ranks fourth, including a league-best one goal allowed in the final 15 minutes.

April Unbeaten Streak ExtendedSaturday's win extended Seattle's unbeaten streak in the month of April to 13 games (8-0-5), dating back to April 2, 2011. The team is 11-4-7 in 21 all-time April matches, outscoring opponents 31-22. The Sounders FC roster boasts two of the top five active goal scorers in April as Kenny Cooper has totaled 18 career goals and Clint Dempsey has scored 11 times.

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more.